China's local governments set poverty reduction goals

Xinhua, January 17, 2017
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Several Chinese provinces have rolled out goals for poverty reduction at the ongoing local "two sessions" -- the plenary meetings of provincial lawmakers and political advisors.

Central China's Hunan Province has made poverty alleviation a priority on the government agenda, vowing to lift 1.1 million people, 10 counties and 2,500 villages out of poverty in the new year.

The provincial government said it earmarked nearly 6 billion yuan (870 million U.S. dollars) to help 1.25 million people shake off poverty last year.

Henan, one of China's most populous provinces, plans to lift about 1 million rural residents out of poverty in 2017.

The provincial government aims to eradicate poverty in the province by 2019. Over 5 million people lived below the poverty line at the end of 2014, about 3.5 million of whom had already been lifted out of poverty over the past three years.

East China's Shandong Province also promised to eradicate poverty for about 2.42 million people by 2018. Last year, 1.2 million people in the province emerged from poverty.

Yin Li, governor of Sichuan Province in southwest China, said 1.07 million people were lifted out of poverty last year, and another 1.05 million will be in 2017.

Yunnan Province has also planned to eradicate poverty for 1 million people in 2017.

Northern China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region said 200,000 people will be aided to shake off poverty in the new year, in addition to another 210,000 people who were lifted out of poverty last year.

Currently about 590,000 people live in poverty in the region, according to the regional government.

China has aimed to eradicate rural poverty by 2020, lifting its remaining 55 million rural poor people out of poverty. The country's poverty line is 2,300 yuan in annual income.

In order to win the war against poverty, local governments have adopted means such as e-commerce, financing, industry, relocation and improvement of infrastructure.

The country expects to achieve its 2016 target of lifting 10 million people out of poverty and has set the same target for the new year.